


Origins: Marr Ronaan

by Hedge_M



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Violence, Gen, High Fantasy, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Sorry, Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Magic, Original Fiction, Shapeshifting, with a few embellishments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:54:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29806656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hedge_M/pseuds/Hedge_M
Summary: Not much is known about the infamous Marr Ronaan. A changeling, a rogue, a h-"Huge pain in my ass."Excuse my draconian friend, she suffers from having a constant stick up her ass.As I was saying, no one truly knows of how this enigma came to be the person they are today. Well, until now, I suppose.Their story begins over half a decade ago, when they were but a mere nine years of age. This tale is somewhat of a bittersweet one, and by that I mean it starts off quite bitter.





	1. Over The Hill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sarbear357](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarbear357/gifts), [ellie_bb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellie_bb/gifts).



The mild heat from the waning summer felt stifling that day. Maybe it wasn’t the heat. No, it was the uncomfortable feeling that flooded through me in the afternoon as I walked back to the little hut I called home. As if someone were watching me, an invisible presence prickling at the back of my neck. 

I tried to shrug it off, unsuccessfully.

My parents weren't home when I stepped through the door. They must have still been out working. I was alright with that. 

I stripped my patchy jacket off, draping it over the kitchen chair, and I noticed a few gaunt-looking pieces of fruit sitting on the table. Swiping the biggest one, I took a bite out of it and carried it with me when I went back outside. 

There wasn't much to do that day unless you were old enough to work in the gardens. So I loitered around, quietly practicing changing my hand into that of different species; a cat's paw, a bird's talon, a humanoid hand.

My ears twitched when they began to pick up a faint rumbling noise, almost like the sound of horses galloping. I looked around, and I could tell a few others started picking up on the sound as well. I climbed up the side of the nearest building to the roof. There, I had a better view of the surrounding plains.

At first, nothing unusual stuck out to me, even with my keen sight. I started to wonder if it was just an earthquake.

Then I saw them.

Coming up over the hill was a group of humanoid people on horseback, donning dark armor that glinted in the sunlight. I started to sweat, my hands beginning to shake, and I hastily clambered down the side of the building and set off to find my parents. 

I started at a jog but quickly broke off into a run through the village. My short, clumsy legs slowed me down, but I was too afraid to shift. I needed to find my parents.

As I ran, a few of my neighbors noticed my frantic searching, some of them asking what was wrong, but I couldn't answer. My thoughts narrowed to just finding my parents. Not watching where I was going, I stumbled into someone, knocking me to the ground and eliciting a small _oof_ from the person.

I look up to see my mother, holding a basket of weeds under her arm. She set down the load and helped me to my feet. "Marley, what's wrong? Do you feel alright?"

Looking over my shoulder, I tried to catch sight of the incoming riders to no avail. I stared back at my mother. "Th-there's these people on horses a-a-and they’ve got this dark, shiny armor on and-"

My mother looked past me, and I could tell people were starting to realize the rumbling was fast approaching. She leveled me with a grave expression. "Get inside, Marlen. And no matter what, _stay put._ " 

I swallowed nervously and nodded, scampering away back towards our home. The sound of galloping hooves grew closer still, too close. Latching the door shut, I made sure to cover the windows. I hid in a corner, attempting to turn into something smaller, but I couldn’t concentrate from the stress.

I heard the hoofbeats come to a clattering halt, and for a moment, the wind seemed to hold its breath. The riders dismounted, the clanking of their armor being the only sound carrying through the fabric covering the windows. 

Then I heard voices, first the murmurings of a gathering crowd, and then the clear, unfamiliar sound of someone clearing their throat loudly. 

"Attention, Midlanders. I am Prince Alain of the Empire of the South, firstborn heir to the throne. We have come to spread the righteous influence of our esteemed leader, my father, Emperor Malcolm the First. All those who kneel before him shall be granted better food, better homes, and better lives." I heard the unsettling sounds of hissing steel. "Those who refuse shall receive judgment by my compatriots' blades."

Agitated muttering spread through the crowd, and I could tell many villagers were either too scared or too weak to fight these strangers. Yet, I still heard angry whispers, and I carefully peeked through the window coverings to see a few of the villagers reach for their own weapons. But that mostly consisted of farm tools or small daggers. 

My stomach sank to see that most of the armored group wielded terrifyingly sharp weapons that seemed to gleam menacingly in the sunlight.

I watched with a heavy heart as people started to bow their heads in defeat and mutter their allegiance. The soldiers who had yet to draw their weapons led those who surrendered away. They left my line of sight, but I heard the soldiers order them to collect their personal belongings quickly. 

Soon, only a few defiant souls stood apart from the soldiers, staring them down with anger while they gripped their less than adequate weapons. 

My heart dropped when I realized that the two who stood towards the front, one clutching a dull dagger and the other a hoe, were my mother and father. 

The prince stepped forward, a disappointed smile stretching across his pale features. "I had hoped all of you would have more sense than this. Ah, but what can you expect from beasts such as these?"

One of the bolder villagers, an older tabaxi woman who wielded a grain sickle, growled at the dark-haired man and spat at his feet. "You speak of giving in as common sense when in reality, it is common sense to not bow to a strange, foreign ruler we know nothing of."

A shadow seemed to pass over his face before his lips pulled back in another nauseating smile. "I can see that you have chosen the alternative option, then. Very well. Soldiers! Round them up and take care of the ones who try to escape.

I duck down from the window, forcing myself to breathe slowly and quietly. The sound of struggle grew, and I heard shouts and cries from the villagers as the soldiers struck them down. I peeked through the window, my heart pounding wildly, to see people grappling with the soldiers, eventually being overpowered by the armored strangers. A few people laid on the ground, motionless, their blood slowly soaking through their clothes.

I watched in horror as my father swung at one of the soldiers with the hoe, but they parried it easily with their axe and swiftly backhanded him with their armored glove with a sharp crack. He fell to the ground, clutching his bloodied face in pain. A scream sounded to the right of him, and my eyes landed on a soldier pinning my mother to the ground, roughly twisting her arm. She cried out and I heard the sound of something snapping. 

They were both manacled and dragged in front of the prince, who brandished his blade with a sad smile. But his impossibly dark eyes glinted with unsettling delight. "A shame it has to end this way. You two seem like such a lovely couple. Tell me, do you have any children?"

Tears ran down my mother's face, and my father spat at Alain's feet, blood dribbling from his mouth. He grimaced up at the prince. "No," he growled.

The prince grinned. "Oh, good. I would hate to not have the whole family together for this." Alain then very suddenly grabbed my mother by the hair and swiftly dragged his sword across her throat. She immediately turned grey and featureless, reverting back to our kind’s simplest form. My father sobbed as her lifeless body hit the dirt, blood pooling around her. 

I watched, frozen in absolute terror, as the prince patted my father on the shoulder with fake sympathy before driving his blade through my father's chest.

His faceless corpse joined my mother’s on the ground, and I ducked back down under the windowsill as Alain looked up after wiping his blade off with a cloth. 

Footsteps drew terrifyingly nearer. I needed to get out of there. I shut down every unhelpful thought, fear threatening to overtake me. With a shuddering breath, I focused on the image of a bird, any bird at all, in my mind. Within seconds, I shifted into a small, brown-speckled sparrow, flying out through the chimney and up above the village. 

Multiple bodies, including those of my parents, were lying on the ground in lifeless heaps. The sight sickened me. I must have blacked out from grief as I flew away, uncertain of where I'd end up next.


	2. Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marr finds themselves alone in a strange new place, and has some interesting encounters.

I came to just before catching sight of a sizable town, not knowing where I was or how long I had been flying. My descent turned into more of a dive, and I crashed into a pile of straw. I heard the sound of people nearby, and my instincts took over, hastily shifting into a human form. 

No longer in avian form, however, I promptly threw up in the hay. I was trembling, retching as quietly as I could to avoid detection from whoever could be listening nearby. Collapsing back in the pile of straw, I curled up and tried to keep myself calm, but my fingers twitched, and I felt myself changing. 

Eventually, I gave up trying and just laid there, not caring how exposed I was in whatever form had taken over. 

I looked around, numbly taking in my surroundings. I somehow managed to land inside some sort of barn structure, judging from the hay and familiar tools laying around. A few animals meandered around, mostly goats and sheep. One of the sheep stared at me, expressionless, before wandering away disinterested.

I picked at the hay absentmindedly, trying to process everything. A young goat with a tawny coat walked up to me, sniffing at me curiously. It started licking my fur the wrong way, and I had to push it away from me to stop it.

“Cut that out, jerk.” It seemed to understand my chastising tone and backed away from me.

A small clatter sounded from the open doorway, and my head snapped towards it to see a stout looking halfling man in his late forties staring at me in shock.

“Oy! Get out of here, beast!” he cried, picking up the broom he’d dropped and swung it towards me. I quickly dodged with a yelp, shifting into a cat and scampering out of the barn as fast as I could as the man chased me away from the property. 

I found a road leading into the town, fearfully keeping to the shadows off to the side to steer clear of the passersby. When I started seeing more people and more buildings around, I decided it was safer to find somewhere to shift into something humanoid to avoid getting trampled. Ducking into an empty alleyway, I glanced around once more and conjured up the image of a human child around my own age for simplicity. 

I stepped out of the alley and onto the street, my eyes darting around nervously before I made my way further into the town. Since I had grown up in such a small community, I was a bit shocked as I took in the size of the buildings around me. Another unusual aspect of the city was that most of the folk who walked the streets were halflings, with a few gnomes and human-sized folk scattered among them.

Several stands and carts were parked along the streets, all presenting different wares and foods for sale. My stomach growled in protest, and the smell of freshly baked goods and cooked meats overwhelmed my senses. 

I edged towards one of the stands, gazing longingly at the mouth-watering display of smoked meat skewers. The woman who looked to be the cart's owner was busy with a customer, which left me free to swipe a couple of skewers of meat and tuck them under my shirt. I walked away briskly, keeping my head down as I shoved my way through the fair amount of foot traffic.

I found a place tucked away from the crowds to eat, quickly scarfing down the delicious pieces. Finishing quickly, I stayed seated for a little longer, hugging my knees to my chest. I felt so alone, more than I’ve ever been before. 

Despite the comforting warmth of the food, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the terrifying realization I had no home. No family. Nowhere to go. My breath hitched in my throat as my body was wracked with a pitiful sob. I furiously wiped the tears away, trying to calm myself down.

"What's the matter, little one?" My head snapped up to see a woman crouched down in front of me. I scrambled back on instinct, trying to distance myself from the stranger who took notice of me. She put her hands up as a placating gesture. "Don't be frightened, I'm not going to hurt you."

I eyed her warily, trying to gauge the woman's intentions. She looked half-elven, her small, pointed ears poking through her long, silvery-white hair that fell over her shoulder in a neat braid. Her skin was light and ashy, bearing a cooler tint than the average half-elf. Icy green eyes peered directly at me, and I stared back anxiously.

“Are you lost? Where are your parents?” Her voice was light and crackly, the sound putting me more at ease as she spoke. I didn’t respond, silently keeping my eyes locked on her cautiously. She seemed to take my silence as an answer. “Do you need some help finding them? I know this city like the back of my hand.”

My Common was okay, but my accent made it harder to understand. I forced myself to speak anyways, my voice coming out thick. “Th-they are gone. I d-don’t know where I-I am.” I sounded squeaky and shrill to my own ears. I hated crying in front of people, especially strangers.

The woman’s expression fell into one of sorrow. “Oh, I’m so sorry, dear… How long ago?”

The day had blurred together in a haze, so I wasn’t sure what to tell her. “I-I don’t know… t-today?”

Her eyes widened in genuine shock, looking at me with concern. “Gods, are-are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” I sniffled, shaking my head. She seemed to relax at that, but worry still twisted her sharp features. Cautiously, she extended a hand, careful not to startle me. “Listen, do you need somewhere to stay? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but a little kid wandering alone in the middle of a city is an easy target for some… _ unsavory _ characters.”

I stared at the hand, considering her words. My mother’s voice echoed through my head,  _ Trust no one outside of the village. You never know who’s honest and who’s not, so better to trust who you know. _ A shiver ran through me as the evening air started to grow colder. I must have flown somewhere more northern, considering the sudden chill.

Meeting her eyes, I slowly reached out and took her hand. She smiled, standing up and helping me to my feet. “My name is Azira Nox, but you can just call me Zira.”

I stuttered my response, “M-Marlen… that is my only name.” 

She gave me a curious smile. “Your accent is quite interesting. Are you Zemnian, by chance?”

I hesitated before shaking my head. “N-no, I am… I am not. But my parents are… w-were…” I bit my lip and stared at the ground as I fought a fresh wave of tears.

If Zira noticed, she didn’t let on. “Well, I think it’s nice. We don’t have a lot of variety here when it comes to languages.”

I glanced around, still uneasy about the number of people nearby. “S-so where are we going?” I tried not to sound overly anxious, but I could hear it in my voice, and I’m sure Zira could too. 

“The place I’m staying at isn’t too far, about a couple blocks away from here.” She looked at me with a scrutinous eye. “You think you’ll make it? You’re small enough, I could probably just carry you.”

My arms were more tired from flying more than anything, but my legs began to grow weary, too. I shook my head, despite my waning energy. “No, I can walk.”

She nodded, but she still seemed dubious. We stayed close to the buildings, away from the busy roads. Zira kept a watchful eye out for any of those "unsavory characters" she mentioned before. I felt safer, knowing she was looking out for me. A little voice in my head was still telling me to not trust this woman, to run away and hide. 

But I didn’t want to listen to it. 

I didn’t want to be alone again.

Zira came to a halt, and I craned my neck up at the building in front of us. It looked well-maintained, considering it appeared as if someone had wedged it between the two buildings that stood on either side. The street itself was quieter, much less crowded than the marketplace. 

“This is it.” The half-elf gestured towards the building with a flourish. “Come along, let’s get inside.” I nodded, following as she led me inside.

I looked around the room as soon as I walked through the doors. Cozy-looking furniture was placed around the room on top of patterned rugs that sprawled across the wooden floor. There was a fireplace off to the side, warm and inviting. I started to gravitate towards it, but I hesitated and looked at Zira nervously.

She let go of my hand. “I need to talk to the innkeeper real quick, you go wait by the fireplace.”

I wandered over to the hearth, sitting down on the floor in front of the warm flames. Glancing around, I noticed that only a couple of people were nearby. A human man in a dark coat and gloves sat at a table in the corner with his drink, a dark hat drawn low over his tanned face.

The other person was a tiefling woman with dark red skin and spiraling horns that went straight up from her head and curved out at the ends. She was sitting in one of the chairs by the fire, engrossed in an impressively large book. 

She suddenly looked up from her book and peered at me through her spectacles with solid golden-yellow eyes, her face scrunching into a disgruntled expression. 

"It is rude to stare, you know," She said sharply. Her accent was unlike anything I had ever heard before, but its charm was ruined by her sour tone. 

I hastily looked down at the floor. "S-sorry," I mumbled nervously.

"I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing." The sound of Zira's voice sent a bolt of fear through me, her usually light tone now hardened and severe. I shrank inwards, already regretting my decision.

"I am not doing anything," the sour-faced tiefling said tightly, and I realized that Zira wasn't talking to me when she said that. The tiefling frowned at me. "This… small child was gawking at me strangely. It is very bothersome when I am trying to  _ read. _ "

Zira scoffed. "As if you're not constantly craving attention, Lív." I looked up to see Zira staring daggers at the other woman, who was glaring back with an equally venomous expression.

The bespectacled woman wrinkled her nose in distaste. "That claim is meaningless coming from  _ you _ , Azira."

Zira rolled her eyes, then looked over at me. "Personal habits aside, I would take great strides to not intimidate the child if I were you, Lívia. Especially while they're under  _ my _ care."

Despite the solidness of her eyes, the tiefling seemed to roll them exasperatedly, but she seemed to back down after Zira's warning. "Whatever. I am going to go sit with Dom so I can  _ actually concentrate _ ." Zira and I watched as she got up and strode away. She sat down with a huff at the table where the coat-wearing man was still seated.

I stood up and stepped closer to Zira, glancing over nervously at the visibly displeased tiefling. The half-elf knelt down to look at me at eye-level. “I managed to convince the innkeeper to let you stay here for free. Do you want your own room-?”

Panic rose irrationally in my chest, and I shook my head frantically. “No!” Her eyes widened when I yelled. I shrank back, feeling guilty for shouting. “No… I don’t want to… I can’t-” 

“Hey, kid, it’s alright, I’m not gonna force you if you don’t want to. You can room with me if you’re not comfortable sleeping alone.” Zira continued softly. “You can take the bed, I can sleep on the floor or something.”

The weight of exhaustion was starting to set in, so I just nodded weakly despite the terrible guilt I felt for making this kind stranger sleep on the hard floor. Silently, I took her hand and followed her up to the room. I settled under the covers and tried to wrap the large blankets around me. It was a struggle since the bed was much larger than what I was used to. 

Zira made herself comfortable on the floor with a pillow and a cloak, not voicing any sort of annoyance or discomfort. The half-elf waved her hand, and the lamp sitting on the nightstand went out. The room darkened into near pitch blackness, save for the faint light coming from the first-risen moon. 

My eyes widened at the display, realizing that this woman was some sort of magic-user. I opened my mouth to ask her how she did that, but a yawn cut through my train of thought.

“‘Night, Marlen,” Zira’s soft voice drifted through the dark. “Sleep well.”

I don't remember how much time had passed before I finally fell asleep.

The dreams, unfortunately, were much more vivid.


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlen has a very bad dream.

My eyes drifted shut, and when I opened them, I was standing in the middle of my village, the familiar clear, blue skies hanging over my head. I glanced around in bewilderment at the many familiar faces of neighbors going about their day. 

It was quiet, the light breeze and the faint chattering of the villagers the most noticeable sounds. In my stupor, I started walking automatically, unhurriedly, just meandering around the village. 

But I felt a tingling sensation at the nape of my neck like someone was watching me. I whipped around at the sound of someone coming up behind me, only to find no one there. That should have eased my mind, but instead, it sent a shiver down my spine, and I could feel the fur on my back pricking up under my shirt. Then my mind caught up with my ears, and a chilling realization washed over me.

It was completely silent now. Save for the wind, all sounds of life had suddenly ceased. My thundering heart seemed to echo in my skull, and the feeling of fear wrapped its claws around me, constricting my movements and my ability to breathe.

A yelp made my head snap towards its source, and I felt sick when my gaze landed on my parents. They sat on the ground, beaten and shackled, with tears streaming down both their blood-streaked faces. 

My stomach turned as I began to creep forward, almost predatorily, to my horror. A low growl escaped my throat against my own volition. My body was trembling as I desperately held onto the last shreds of control I possessed. I fell to my knees in a final attempt to slow myself, my claws scraping the dirt. 

My keen hearing picked up a soft _tsk_ from the man standing over my parents. He leered at me, with his bloodied sword in hand. “How unpleasant,” Alain remarked, his disgusted tone contrasting sharply with his victorious grin. However, his mouth twisted into more of a sneer as I crawled forward, dragging myself across the dirt. “Your kind are more slippery than the other abominations that walk these plains, but clearly just as beastly as the rest.”

He watched me struggle to stay back, and I tried desperately as despair and shame compressed my lungs. A menacing growl welled up in my throat, but Alain didn’t even flinch. Instead, he inhaled calmly through his nose and locked eyes with me. Then he drove his sword into my mother’s upper leg, above the knee, pinning the limb into the ground. 

The horrible agonized shriek that wrenched from her shook me to my core, my whole body locking up in terror. My father snarled at Alain, enraged. The prince let go of the sword, leaving it stuck into the ground, and backhanded him across the face, toppling him over. He clutched his bloody face in his hands, and my father remained on his side, his knees drawn to his chest. 

Alain looked at me, a triumphant glint in his pitch-colored eyes. “Well then, beast? Are you just going to stand there? I thought you monsters were supposed to be a challenge, but this is just _sad_.”

White noise began to fill my head as I stared up at the man, my anger coming to a boil. With a snarl, I lunged at Alain, knocking him to the dirt and baring my fangs as I pinned him down. He showed no signs of fear at my display of aggression. Looking into his eyes, it dawned on me that he was relishing it.

My snout wrinkled at the metallic scent of my mother’s blood as it pooled on the ground. There was so much blood. Too much. It seemed to spread too quickly, and the thick, deep crimson puddle reached Alain’s shoulders where I held him down in a matter of seconds. I hastily pushed off of him, tripping over my panicked limbs, and tumbled to the ground.

Alain rose to his feet and began approaching me leisurely, blood dripping from his shoulders and his boots with each step. He stared me down, a malicious grin stretching across his face. Trying to stand, I struggled to pull myself to my feet when my head felt so light. Then the prince grabbed me roughly by the scruff of my neck and started dragging me towards my distressed parents. I thrashed and bit as he did, but he kept a firm grip on my neck.

With his free hand, he took back his sword, and my mother cried out as he removed the blade from her leg. Still holding me tightly, his stiff gloved hand digging into my skin through my fur, he lifted the sword to my throat, forcing me to stay still.

His words rasped in my ear, the sound almost acidic. “Any last words, mutt?” I didn’t dare move, terror locking up my entire body. The only sound I could muster was a weak whimper, and he seemed to chuckle at that.

“That’s what I thought,” he said smugly, and then Alain swiftly sliced the sword through my neck.

With a startled cry, I sat up in bed and clutched at my throat, breathing raggedly. My heart hammered against my ribcage as if it were about to burst.

I registered a quiet grumble of confusion, and my head snapped towards the noise, terror gripping me fiercely. A shadow rose in front of the window, tall and willowy. Terrified, I scrambled back from the shadow in a blind panic. I tumbled over the edge of the mattress and hit the floor with a _thud_. Tears blurred my vision as I cowered from the sound of hurried footsteps.

“Marlen?! Marlen, are you okay?!” A familiar voice, though now laced with panic, made me hesitate to run. “What’s wrong?” I blinked through my tears, squinting up at Zira’s concerned face, awash with the faint moonlight. However, her eyes were different. Instead of the cool green irises that stared at me from the sidewalk, I saw two pale red rings filled with worry.

I sniffled and wiped my face, opening my mouth to speak, but my throat closed up, unable to form coherent sentences. Zira reached out to place her hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away from the contact. I was too distraught to think clearly. Squeezing my eyes shut, I curled up on the floor and tried to make myself as small as possible. All I could think about was wanting to disappear, to stop feeling so much at once. 

A few moments passed before I felt a pair of slender arms scoop me up, careful not to startle me this time, and place me on the bed. Not having enough energy to move, I was grateful for Zira pulling the covers over me and tucking me in. She whispered something to me softly, or at least I thought she did. Exhaustion and grief muddled my thoughts, making it hard to focus on anything. Sleep eventually found me once more, and thankfully, my mind was scarce of any more dreams.


End file.
